A bus full of Koreans along with a handful of uncertain Americans pulled out of the Jeju-si bus terminal and headed East along the coastal highway. After making a tentative bus transfer in some anonymous town, we happily stumbled upon our destination: Manjanggul Lava Tube Cave.
At the end of a well manicured path, a stone stairway descended into a gaping hole in the earth. After carefully descending the slippery stairs, we were inside the expansive cave. It was dimly lit, but cool, a welcome relief from the hot day. We shuffled along through over the uneven ground, carefully avoiding the puddles that had formed from the constant drip from the ceiling.
Farther and farther, deeper and deeper. The cave kept going, never narrowing, always tall and wide and endless.
Then finally, the end, it seemed. One kilometer into the cave a huge lava pillar and a pile of boulders blocked our trek farther into the 5 kilometer long cave.
At the end of a well manicured path, a stone stairway descended into a gaping hole in the earth. After carefully descending the slippery stairs, we were inside the expansive cave. It was dimly lit, but cool, a welcome relief from the hot day. We shuffled along through over the uneven ground, carefully avoiding the puddles that had formed from the constant drip from the ceiling.
Farther and farther, deeper and deeper. The cave kept going, never narrowing, always tall and wide and endless.
Then finally, the end, it seemed. One kilometer into the cave a huge lava pillar and a pile of boulders blocked our trek farther into the 5 kilometer long cave.
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